Happy July 4th SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 $1.50 Fireworks Celebrating business independence runs in his family BY RICK CARPENTER [email protected] Like many firework stand operators, Andy Hood learned the business from a relative, a cousin, Floyd Ray, who operat- ed stands in Sum- ter. With the cous- in's advice, he and his wife, Lynda, first opened stands in Ker- shaw County and HOOD eventually added one in Sumter, Andy's Fireworks, located on Alice Drive on the back of property owned by Jones Chev- rolet Cadillac on Broad Street. Now, 26 years later and three years after he lost Lynda, he uses the income to augment his retirement from serving as a correctional officer. Hood opens stands the week of Independence Day as well as the Christmas and New Year's Eve periods. He said when those three holidays land on extended weekends — such as when Dec. 25, 2015, and Jan. 1, 2016, landed on a Friday and the Fourth of July on Monday — it's like hitting the trifecta. When the holiday falls on weekends, Hood said, off-work people help skyrocket his sales. Hood anticipates sales based on that kind of detail, orders months in advance and hopes KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM to run out of supply by late- Jorden Hilton, 7, center, night July 4 or the following and his cousin Kimoriell day when he discounts leftover Cleveland, 8, use their inventory. American flags to add to The bottom line: "You don't their dance while attending want to run out early; you don't Manning’s Red White and want to run short on supply," Blue Fourth of July Hood said. celebration on Friday. But even if he has leftover in- ventory, most firework suppli- ers he uses will take that left- over inventory back and credit Manning throws a 240th birthday party for America his account. And, he says as long as the fireworks remain BY KONSTANTIN Manning's third-annual Julia A. Nelson. entertainment for the eve- packaged and are stored in a VENGEROWSKY Red, White and Blue Cele- Manning musician Jerry ning, The Company Band dry space, they can last a long [email protected] bration was filled with food Lloyd performed the nation- from North Carolina, which time, which is why you might vendors, face painting and al anthem on an electric gui- played a variety of hits for want to consider buying next The city of Manning plenty of fun for the entire tar with his son, Trayvene families to enjoy. year's fireworks on July 5. wowed the crowd Friday family. Lloyd, on the drums. Jerry Food was sold by local Hood guarantees his fire- night with an exciting "We wanted to have an an- Lloyd has been a musician vendors such as George's works and replaces duds or re- Fourth of July celebration nual event which allows ev- for about 40 years and has Funnel Cakes, a family funds money for fireworks that that featured live entertain- eryone from the community called Manning home for owned business run by Man- don't ignite. ment, fireworks and a to come together to cele- most of his life. ning native George Waites What are his biggest sellers? chance for residents to cele- brate our nation's indepen- After Lloyd, live music brate in unison. dence," said Manning Mayor was provided by the main SEE PARTY, PAGE A8 SEE HOOD, PAGE A11 Eat your vegetables, if you know where to find them BY JIM HILLEY tables, he’s been doing it for years,” “McBee is about the only place [email protected] she said. around,” he said. “(At) McLeod Melton knows his beans, so to Farms, they have one stand on one Fruits and vegetables grow in great speak. side of town and one on the other.” abundance in the Palmetto State, but “Butterbeans are already coming in Melton said there are still some knowing just where and when to find at Lake City,” he said. “Peas, tomatoes, farms around that let people pick their them isn’t always as easy as apple pie. all kinds of stuff is coming in right own fruits and vegetables but not Clemson Extension Agent Amanda now.” many anymore. McNulty said July is prime time for Now is the time for freestone peach- “Most people don't do pick your many fruits and vegetables. es, he said. own; people destroy the fields,” he “Peaches and watermelons are “Peaches have been ready, and its said. ready now,” she said. “In fact, we are time now for the freestone peaches,” He said he knows of some farms having our watermelon field day in a Melton said. “The early ones are cling that allow people to pick, but they are couple of weeks,” she said. peaches, meaning they stick to the pit, small farms. McNulty recommended getting infor- freestone means they come free from “A lot of times most people can’t mation from Senior Extension Agent the stone.” find these off-the-wall little places,” he JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM Tony Melton in the Florence office. However, not a lot of peaches are Elizabeth Hunter harvests vegetables at “He’s the expert of fruits and vege- grown in the Midlands, he said. SEE VEGGIES, PAGE A11 Hunter Heritage Farm in Horatio. VISIT US ONLINE AT CONTACT US DEATHS, A11 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Information: 774-1200 Robert E. Cuttino HUMID AND STORMY 5 SECTIONS, 36 PAGES the .com Advertising: 774-1246 Janette Green Sellers VOL. 121, NO. 218 Classifieds: 774-1234 Stormy again today; Betta A. Hodge tonight, partly cloudy Business D1 Opinion A10 Delivery: 774-1258 Lander McCray Epps and humid. Classifieds D5 Outdoors D4 News and Sports: 774-1226 Willy Floy Phillips HIGH 95, LOW 77 Comics E1 Television E3 A2 | SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Sheriff’s office hosts youth conferences Jerome Robinson, owner of Team Robinson MMA, taught conference participants self-defense moves and orchestrated a skit showing what to do when approached by bullies. At the Girls to Women conference, Whitney Keyes, not pictured, CEO of Keyes to Class, shared with the young women the importance of dressing appropriately and how to carry themselves. PHOTOS PROVIDED Sumter native Terry Kinard, a member of the Clemson Tigers’ 1981 National Championship football team and the Super Bowl XXI Champion New York Giants in 1986, prepares to speak at Sumter County Sheriff’s Sgt. September Craft and Senior Corp. Fredrick Brantley of Sumter Office’s annual youth conference. Two hundred young men and women attended the conferences, which County Sheriff’s Office act as the parents in a skit designed to show included a trip to Myrtle Beach beginning with a stop at Medieval Times followed by an afternoon of fun how a young man should act when picking up a girl for a date and at Myrtle Waves Water Park. how the girl should respond when being picked up. State Fair calls for entries Zoo closes tadpole pond FROM STAFF REPORTS COLUMBIA — It's time to start planning for what to do with all those blue ribbons after complications arise you could win at the South Carolina State Fair in Octo- ber, and the fair is now ac- BY SAMMY FRETWELL could hop from rock to rock, than the standard for safe No one at Riverbanks cepting entry registrations for The State or step into the water and swimming, records show. knew last week what caused its competitive exhibits. Bak- scoop up tiny amphibians. The pond closed in early the bacteria problems, but ers, gardeners, canners, farm- COLUMBIA — Riverbanks But as temperatures rose June and has been perma- Krantz speculated that they ers, craftsmen and artisans, Zoo has shut down a popular in May, children began sit- nently drained. It will be re- resulted from heavy use of quilters, artists: Now's the children’s wading pond after ting, splashing and swim- placed by a splash pad, like the tadpole pond. Some chil- time to enter for your share of learning that youngsters ming in the water, which one that has already been es- dren may have relieved the more than $300,000 in pre- were using it as a kiddie raised concerns because the tablished in the children’s themselves in the water, he miums and awards. pool, which the zoo wasn’t pond was not designed for area of the zoo’s botanical said. Competitive exhibits, open prepared to operate. that purpose, Riverbanks of- gardens. Each time bacteria levels only to S.C. residents and out- The man-made wetland, ficials said this week. “We never intended for went up, zoo officials said, of-state students attending a commonly called the “tad- Bacteria levels in the water children to swim in that,’’ they drained the tadpole S.C. school of higher learning, pole pond,’’ opened April 7 as soared on five occasions said Satch Krantz, the zoo’s pond, scrubbed it and include fine art, student art, part of a new children’s sec- from May 10 to June 1, ac- chief executive officer. brought in fresh water. The agriculture, flowers and the tion at the zoo’s botanical cording to test results from “Clearly those children and bacteria levels would then home and craft department. gardens. It featured boulders the zoo and the state health their parents had a very dif- go down for several days, Anyone, regardless of resi- and a collection of frogs and department. In one case in ferent concept of how they before rising again, accord- dency, can register for the tadpoles that swam in the mid-May, E.